Animal Biology (BSc Hons)

Study mode

Length

Campus

Learning in the field and lab, focusing on local and global biological issues, you’ll develop the skills needed to move into a rewarding animal biology career. You will explore the form and function of animals, their adaptions to the environment, interaction, physiology and evolution. You’ll examine animal behaviour from ants to primates and learn how to conduct surveys for a variety of animal populations.

You’ll have the opportunity to progress from field training in the UK to field research overseas, studying animal behaviour and conservation in South Africa or the ecology of alpine settings in Switzerland. In your second year you’ll also have the option to take our internship module, which not only provides critical workplace experience but also awards academic credit towards your degree.

Throughout, you'll be guided by lecturers awarded for their teaching excellence and media work, and internationally-recognised for their frontline research in bioscience. These include Professor Adam Hart who has presented BBC2’s Hive Alive, BBC4’s Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony and BBC Radio 4’s Big Game Theory.

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Study style

You'll learn through fieldwork, laboratory analysis, seminars, debates and lectures. Around 75% of assessment is by coursework, through consultancy reports, presentations, essays, scientific reports and practical tests with an emphasis on active research areas.

Course modules

Take a look at the course map for a breakdown of modules that you'll study to complete the course.

Entry requirements

Tariff information for 2019 entry

120 tariff points

Typical offers

BBB at A levels, DDM at BTEC or use a combination of your qualifications to achieve the required tariff total.

Mature Applicants: We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants. To find out more, please email our enquiries team.

Grade 4/C in GCSE English and Mathematics (or equivalent) are normally required.
If you don't meet your tariff points total we may still consider your application.
Please email our admissions team for further information.

Careers

Samantha Howlett

I’m an ecological research assistant for Silava, the Latvian State Forestry Research Institute. I’ve worked in the Caribbean, Namibia and the Seychelles!

I cannot praise our lecturers enough. They helped me to develop as a budding scientist. I did a placement in Montana for the Society for Conservation Biology as a field technician. I monitored the movement of pronghorn antelope in the prairies. It was amazing, I learnt so much and made great contacts. It formed the basis of my dissertation for which I won the Society of Biology Top Student Award!

Placement information

"The vast number of placements was simply outstanding." Andrew Shelton, Graduate

Placement type:

12-Month, Optional

Duration:

12 months, full-time (minimum 35 hours per week)

Location:

Placements can be carried out in the UK or overseas; popular overseas placement destinations include the USA, China and Europe. You may even wish to source your own placement in other countries.

Visa requirements:

If carrying out a placement abroad, there may be a visa requirement.

Financial arrangements:

On your placement year you will pay a reduced tuition fee and are still eligible to apply for a maintenance loan. Financial support is also available from the Student Finance Team by contacting moneyadvice@glos.ac.uk.

Placement support:

You will have access to guidance from the Placements Team throughout your placement search, and for the duration of your placement year. You can contact the Placements Team on placements@glos.ac.uk.

Industry links

In your second year you’ll have the option to take our internship module, which not only provides a critical edge of workplace experience but also awards academic credit towards your degree. Recently, students have interned with zoos, conservation groups and wildlife rangers. Others have been gaining teaching experience in schools, critical to their teacher training applications. And some have joined us in our research into hedgehog conservation, the microbiology of dormice nest-boxes, and seabird surveys using thermal imaging. Associated professional accreditationsOwing to their applied content, our biology courses are recognised by the Royal Society of Biology - a worldwide community of cross-disciplinary scientists.

Staff Profile

Anne Goodenough

“I am extremely proud to have been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship as I feel that this is a reflection of the passion and expertise that I bring to my subject. For me, teaching and research go hand-in-hand: my particular passions are ornithology and conservation (anything connected with birds and how to conserve both birds and other species fascinates me) and the 20+ articles I have published underpin my Avian Biology and Conservation Ecology modules on the course. I also frequently invite the students to work with me on my research projects: I have now published 18 papers jointly with students and I am always delighted with the level of commitment and skill that they demonstrate.”

Learn from staff who are experts in their field

Our entomologist Professor Adam Hart and ornithologist Dr Anne Goodenough regularly make national media appearances, in particular the annual Flying Ant and Starling Murmuration surveys that are led jointly by the University of Gloucestershire and the Royal Society of Biology.

Overseas field research opportunities

Residential field trip options include South Africa to study animal behavior and conservation, and the Swiss Alps to analyse the ecology of alpine environments. Recent dissertation projects have included examining turtles in Mexico, bats in Ghana and marine ecology in Abu Dhabi.

Consistently excellent levels of student satisfaction

Learn in a supportive and personal environment. We scored 100% for student satisfaction in the Complete and Times university guides for biological sciences.

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